changeadminIndia and the Netherlands strengthened scientific cooperation in clean energy through the launch of the Hydrogen Fellowship Programme and established an enabling academic cooperation framework for green energy and hydrogen research.
The India-Netherlands Hydrogen Fellowship Programme is a national capacity-building initiative open to eligible Indian doctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty applicants across institutions.
The fellowship programme was launched by the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, Prof. Abhay Karandikar, in the presence of Mr Huib Mijnarends, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India.
While launching the programme, Prof. Karandikar, Secretary, DST, said that focused international collaboration and targeted capacity-building initiatives are critical for advancing hydrogen technologies from research to deployment, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors aligned with India’s clean energy transition goals.
Mr Huib Mijnarends, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India, emphasised the alignment of Indo-Dutch cooperation in hydrogen and energy transition.
Prof. Dr Jouke de Vries, President of the University of Groningen, emphasised the role of sustained academic partnerships in addressing global energy challenges.
The India-Netherlands Hydrogen Fellowship Programme aims to strengthen India’s deployment readiness in hydrogen technologies through structured exposure to advanced hydrogen ecosystems in the Netherlands, with an emphasis on system integration, safety, techno-economic analysis, life-cycle assessment, and indigenisation pathways.
The fellowship is designed to ensure that research outcomes directly contribute to national clean energy priorities.
To establish academic cooperation, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and 19 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
The institution-to-institution MoU would facilitate faculty and student exchange, joint research, and knowledge sharing, and operates without automatic financial commitments.
The high-level engagement reflected the shared commitment of India and the Netherlands to advance research, capacity building, and deployment-oriented innovation in green hydrogen, aligned with India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission and net-zero by 2070 objectives.
The initiatives represent a significant step toward deepening collaboration between India and the Netherlands and strengthening human capital in the emerging global hydrogen economy.
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